John joseph hooker



2 SheetsSheet 1.

Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

APPARATUS FOR STOPPING AND STARTING VEHICLES.

(No Model.)

J. J. HOOKER, H. LESOHER 82; R. G. SGHWARZ.

L '7: r a" 2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. J. HOOKER, H. LESGHER 8Z2 R. G. SGHWARZ.

APPARATUS FOR STOPPING AND STARTING VEHICLES. N0. 888 978 R q Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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liniTEn STa'TEs PATENT OTETcE.

JOHN JOSEPH HOOKER, OF TlDESlVELL, STOOKPOET, COUNTY OF DERBY, AND HERMAN L JSOHER AND ROBERT GEORGE SGHW'ARZ, OF LONDON,

lNGrLAND.

APPARATUS FOR STOPPlNG AND STARTING VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,973, dated September 1*, 1888.

Application filed May 16, i888. Serial X0. 274,031. (No modrl.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J OHN Josnrn HOOKER, at present residing at Tideswell, Stockport, in the county of Derby, England, clerk in Holy 5 Orders, HERMAN Lnsonnn, at present residing at 6 Olements Lane, Lombard Street, in the city of London, England, accountant, and ROBERT GEORGE SGHW'AR-Z, at present residing at 110 Cannon Street, in the city of London, England, commission merchant, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Starting Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus for stopping and starting tramway-cars and other vehicles by storing up power on descending hills and in stopping, and so acting as a brake to check the momentum of the vehicle. This apparatus comprises a spring barrel adapted to slide on one of the wheelaxles and frictionclutch and other gear, whereby the springs may at required moments be so connected or geared with the'axle as to be wound up thereby, thus storing up the momentum of the car until it is required for use, and at other times the con nection so changed that the power thus stored up may be given out to the axle for propelling the car in the same direction in which it was running when the springs were wound.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, where- V Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the car frame and axles. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, and Fig. 3 an elevation, of the springbarrel and clutches. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line 1 1, Fig. 2.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A is the wheelaxle, and B the spring-barrel, containing a number of coiled springs, O, attached at their outer ends to the barrel and at their inner ends to the barrel-axle D, which is a sleeve loose on the wheel-axle A and capable of being moved endwise thereon for the purpose of putting the clutches in and out of gear, as hereinafter described.

E F are a pair of cones forming a friction- 5o clutch, the former being keyed on the axle A and the latter on the end of the sleeve D. At the opposite side of the apparatus is a similar clutch, of which the one cone, G, forms the head of the barrel and is fast with the periphery thereof, but free to turn on the sleeve D, the other cone, H, being keyed on the axle. The opposite head, I. of the barrel is made in halves bolted together and fitting between shoulders on the sleeve D, so as to participate in its longitudinal motion while the two are free to turn independently. Thishead is also provided-with ratchet or inclined teeth I on its outer face to form a clutch to engage with asimilar clutch, K, placed loose about the sleeve D, but fixed to the rods L of a frame, terminating in cross-heads M N, mounted on the axle with the above-described gear between them. An arm, 0, is bolted to one of the rods and connected by a slot and pin at its extremity to a bracket on the ear-frame, so that the frame is prevented from turning with the axle, while leaving it independent of the rising and fall.- ing of the frame under the influence of the carrier-springs, the cross-heads being guided by vertical arms sliding between guides on the car-frame. The rods L extend beyond the cross-head N, and have springs I? applied thereto, which abut-against the cross-head N, which in turn bears against clutch H, and tend to draw the rods L and clutch K toward the clutch I, the other cross-head, M, being free to slide along the axle for a short distance when the power of springs P has been overcome, the object of these springs being to allow the fixed clutch K to be drawn out of engagement with the clutch I of the barrel after the clutches G H are securely in gear. The clutch F has external ratchetteeth, with which gears a pawl, Q, pivoted to the frame to prevent the sleeve D revolving backward when the springs are wound up or in action.

The parts are so adjusted that when the barrel is in its mid-position along the axle neither pair of clutches E F or GH will be in gear, 5 while the depth of the teeth of the clutches I K is snfiicient to admit of the barrel being moved su'liiciently to put either pair of clutches into gear, the clutches I K always remainingengaged until released, as hereinafter described.

- The longitudinal motion is imparted to the sleeve D, and consequently to the barrel, by a shaft, R, worked by a hand-lever, S, and connected with the sleeve D by a pair of arms, 9', pivoted to a collar, T, fitted in a groove around the sleeve. This end of the shaft R is mounted in bearings in the rods L, while its other end is hung in a bracket at such a distance as to be unaffected by the motion of the rods L. The hand-lever S works over a notched quadrant, and is provided with the usual springbolt to engage therewith. It is an elbow-lever, and its short arm 8 is connected by a link, 8, with the arm 1', (as shown in plan in Fig. 2,) on the end of shaft R.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: During the normal running of the car the haudle S is kept in theposition of mid-gear shown, both the pairs of clutches E F, G H being out of action and the axle therefore free to revolve without acting on the apparatus. To store power by coiling up the springs, which may be done either while descending a hill or in stopping the car, the handle S is so moved as to slide the sleeve D along the axle and throw the clutches E F into gear, thus causing the sleeve D to revolve with the axle, the barrel B being prevented from revolving by the clutch I K. The springs continue to be coiled until the clutches E F are disengaged by returning the handle S to the mid-gear position whether the car stops or not, the springs being prevented from uncoiling by the pawl engaging with the teeth of clutch F. In order to utilize the power thus stored up,the handle S, and consequently the sleeve A, are moved in the opposite direction until the clutches G H are thrown into gear, so that the power of the spring will be applied through the barrel B and clutches G H to turn the axle A as soon as the clutches I K are released. The barrel cannot therefore yet revolve, it being neces sary to insure the engagement of clutches G H before the barrel is released. Otherwise the barrel would revolve idle and the springs would run down without doing any useful work. All the foregoing movements of the sleeve have been imparted to it through what is in effect an elbow-lever, r 1*, whose fulcrum is the shaft R, the resistance of the springs P to compression being sufficient to hold the rods L stationary against the power necessary to throw the clutches E F, G H into gear. But in order to disengage the clutches I K it is necessary to move the latter away from the former,

and this is accomplished by overcoming the power of the springs P by forcing over the lever-handle S still harder in the same direction as it was moved to throw the clutches G H into gear. By so doing r becomes the fulcrum of the elbow-lever rr, and the shaft R and rods L are moved a sufficient distance to disengage I K, whereupon the power of the coiled springs comes at once into action for propelling the vehicle. By letting go the ban dle S the springs I? will at once throw the clutches I K into gear and arrest the action of the springs in case it is necessary to stop the car again after startingit and before the power of the springs is exhausted. Moreover, risk of the car overrunning the horses is removed. The springs may be coiled at any part of the journey-say, in descending a hilland the power held inreserve for use in ascending.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 1. The herein-described car-starting mechanism for storing power for use, in the manner described, consisting in the combination, with the axle, of the sleeve D, barrel B, springs O, friction-clutches E F, G H, ratchet-detent Q, and d taining clutch I K, combined to operate substantially as specified.

2. The coxnbinatiomwith sliding spring-barrel, sleeve, friction, and detaining clutch gear herein specified, of the sliding frame L, and springs P. and the shaft R, and gear for actuating the sleeve mounted in said sliding frame for the purpose of disengaging the detainingclutches, substantially as specified.

The foregoing specification of our improvements in apparatus for stopping and starting vehicles signed by us this 19th day of April, 1888.

JOHN JOSEPH HOOKER. HERMAN LESOHER. ROBERT GEORGE SCHWARZ.

Witnesses to the signature of the said John Joseph Hooker:

THOMAS PARKINSON, Tideswcll, Stockport, Clerk "in Holy Orders.

WILFRED BRIAN HANDLEY, Tideswell, Siockport, Butcher.

\Vitnesses to the signatures of the said Herman Lescher and Robert George Schwarz:

HERBERT E. DALE, G. W. WEs'rLEY, Both of 17 Gracechurch Street, London, E. 0.,

Notaries Clerks. 

